In episode two of The Board Talks, Cameron Hogan sits down with Ryan Atkinson, who quit his full-time job at 24 to bet on himself and build his video marketing agency, Spacebar Visuals, from scratch. They get into what the leap actually felt like, why his first full year was the hardest of his life, and how the business turned around almost overnight.

Ryan also shares how he took the emotion out of the decision by setting clear goals before he quit, why he built the company on the side first, and why it’s still the best decision he’s ever made.

Watch or listen to the full conversation above. 🎧

About Our Guest

Ryan Atkinson

Ryan Atkinson is the founder and CEO of Spacebar Visuals, a video marketing agency that helps SaaS and tech companies explain what they do in a way people actually understand. At 24, he quit his full-time job to bet on himself and build the company from scratch. In its first year, Spacebar Visuals crossed six figures and has since worked with 100+ B2B SaaS brands to create product demos, explainers, and brand videos that drive real results. Ryan is also the podcast and YouTube host for UpFlip, a channel with 1.59M subscribers on YouTube, where he sits down with entrepreneurs and founders who have built “boring businesses” such as junk removal, soap making, ATM routes, and more. When he’s not running the agency or conducting interviews, Ryan loves to travel (with a goal to solo travel every continent by 30), making coffee for friends, and being active.

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

About Our Host

Cameron Hogan

Cameron Hogan is Head of Expansion for The Board Walks and co-founder of The Board. He built the infrastructure that helps the walks thrive in over 20 cities, stewarding the systems and host relationships that preserve the intimacy and trust at their heart.

He brings the same curiosity to building a global community that he brings to a conversation, and shares his contemplations on Substack every Thursday.

Follow Cameron on Instagram, Substack, X, and LinkedIn.

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"I'm not creative" might be the most common lie we tell ourselves, and Catherine Woodiwiss is here to talk you out of it.

In the very first episode of The Board Talks, Cameron Hogan sits down with Catherine Woodiwiss, a journalist, experience architect, and self-described "compulsive meaning-injector." Together they explore why life itself is a creative act, why the creative act is also a healing act, and why none of us can heal alone.

Catherine also shares the simple 3-question test she uses to decide which ideas are worth bringing into the world, and the courage it takes to say "so what?" to your own doubts.

About Catherine Woodiwiss

Journalist. Experience architect. Compulsive meaning-injector. I work in the gaps between disciplines, between story and space, structure and improvisation. I create scaffolding to move from "wouldn't it be cool if?" to a thing that actually happens. I'm always aiming for meaning, imagination, and devotion, helping people come more creatively alive to themselves and the world. Currently: producing theatrical performances and hosting salons, film nights, and existential field games in Austin; building rites-of-passage programs with scientists, artists, and philosophers in 4 countries; convening experts and devoted amateurs for conversations that actually go somewhere; and writing a Substack about beauty and belonging at the end of the world. Work has appeared in The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, and The New York Times, and been supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Templeton Foundation, SXSW, and USAID. I was once cited by both David Brooks and Burning Man, which feels about right. If you're a multidisciplinary, improvisational yes-and type, say hi.

Find Catherine:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chwoodiwiss/

X: https://x.com/chwoodiwiss

Website: https://www.catherinehwoodiwiss.com/

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✨ About your hosts

Elle Beecher Hogan founded The Board Walks in 2022, when eight people showed up for a five-mile walk in Austin, Texas. A writer, connection architect, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, she spent seven years at Meta before leaving to rebuild low-stakes gathering places for a world that quietly lost them. Her writing is for anyone who has ever stood in a full room and wondered, "is this it?" Follow along with Elle here:

https://stan.store/ellebeecher

Cameron Hogan is a writer, builder, and co-founder of The Board Walks. He built the host network and systems that let the walk exist in over 20 cities without losing the intimacy and trust that makes it work. His work explores what happens beneath the surface of a well-built life: the relationships we shape, the responsibilities we carry, and the quiet tax of living by terms we never consciously chose. Follow along with Cam here:

https://stan.store/thecameronhogan